The Puzzle of My Heart
by Dark-Fire.Soldier
Summary: Okay, this may not seem intresting to you, but Gau wins the tournament to make him the 60th Cevar. Unfortunately he thinks something(more like some one) is missing...Gau/Kyou R&R pls! Flames are NOT allowed!!! Chap.4 up! ONEGAI!PLS. REVIEW!
1. The Battle is Over

Disclaimer: Okay, okay, I DON'T own Shadow Skill or its characters. It all belongs to Megumi Okada (did I spell that right????). If I did, I would've made the story longer. So don't sue me darn it!!!! All you'll get is half a chunk of Dreamcast and a few dollars…Oh yeah, on with the story!!!!

"Living the Dream"

P.S.: It's Gau/Kyou. Odd huh? To hell with flames!!!!! 

Chap. 1 The Battle Is Over

"Sword!" 

"Harken!"

The battle cries echoed through the stadium as the audience looked in awe at the skill that Gau Ban and Screbb Lowereginn displayed to win the title of the 60th Cevar. Yes, the way had been long, but finally, both of them were qualified enough to participate in the annual tournament to determine the birth of a new Cevar.

"Damn…" Gau thought, "Low-san's really put some muscle since a week ago…" His thoughts were interrupted as he barely parried another Harken thrown at him by Low. He unleashed his own Harken at Low, with the added effect of the ground, thrown up in chunks of dirt at the intensity of his Harken.

"Wha…" Low had no time for bewilderment as the Harken came at him at record speed, "Where'd he learn that?!" He grunted as he sprang towards Gau, who expected another Harken but was soon proved wrong…

"Kuruda Ryu Kossapo, Meice!!!" Low yelled as he delivered a flurry of charged punches at Gau.

"Don't think so!" Gau said, "Kuruda Ryu Kossapo, one of the highest skills known to man…" 

"Nani?!" gasped Low, "What does he mean?"

"Kamui!" shouted Gau, initiating the quick-transfer technique taught to him by Dias.

"Where could Gau-kun be?" Thought Low.

Suddenly, the arena caught a glimpse of metal somewhere high above, and when they saw what it was, they could not help but gasp in awe. For Gau had unsheathed the legendary weapon "Blackwing" from his back and was now hurling it at Low with great speed.

"Bad move Gau-kun," Low thought, "For I too, have come prepared!"

He then drew a gleaming sword given to him by the king, Iva Stolla, also the 55th Cevar. He uttered a battle cry as he too leaped in the air and charged at Gau.

"Diaz-sama…" Gau said aloud, "arigato…" The crowd was in bewilderment as he uttered those words. Low drew closer, closer, closer, until…

"Kuruda Ryu Kossapo," Gau began, but the crowd doubted he could parry the blow Low was about to deal him. Low then slashed at him with the gleaming blade, but suddenly…

"Kabuto!!!" Gau cried, then vanished, but was replaced with a dozen Blackwings heading towards the now-aghast Low. Luckily, Low parried most of them with his sword.

"Let's finish this," Gau said, suddenly reappearing behind him 

"Hai" Low said with a smile on his face.

****

BEGIN MARTIAL LANGUAGE

"I am invincible!"  
_"Yes, I am unbeatable!"_

"No one can withstand my Shadow Skill"

__

"My assault is…White Lightning!"

"My one single blow will destroy the enemy, destroy the enemy completely!"

__

"My strike is the ultimate one!"

"Kuruda Ryu Kossapo…Shadow Skill!" Gau yelled.

"Kuruda Ryu Kossapo…Open Skill!" Low yelled simultaneously

"Sword!!"

"Katana!!"

The audience braced for the worse. The moves hit, and an aura of colors erupted from the site of collision as the moves cancelled each other out.

But Gau had more than Blackwing up his sleeve.

"Shadow Terminating Technique…Kannon!" Gau said, as his final burst of energy was swept away with that final move.

"M-Masaka?!" were the last words the crowd heard of Low even as the arena was enveloped in a burst of rainbow colors courtesy of the Shadow Terminating Technique, Kannon.

After the smoke and rubble cleared, the audience saw Gau Ban standing, barely conscious, and Screbb Lowreginn lying down, sapped of energy, after taking the full blow of the Kannon. The audience was momentarily quiet, after which they erupted into bursts of applause and cheers for the newest Cevar, Gau Ban "Black Howling".

"I…I won?" Gau sputtered, "YES! I WON! I WON! I'M THE NEWEST CEVAR!" was his answer. The next thing he knew, he was hoisted onto the crowd's shoulders and paraded across Kuruda. 

"Sugoi, Gau!" Elle said "Congratulations, Mr.Cevar!" Faury added teasingly.

"You did well" praised Scarface. Even Low, who was badly injured, quickly sprang up as if zapped with a million volts of electricity and congratulated him.

"Wow," Gau remarked, "That's what I call rapid recuperation!" Yet even amidst the sea of faces and salutations, Gau searched for the one face he wanted so badly to see, so badly it hurt inside. 

He wanted to see Kyou.


	2. Lost in the Wind

1 Author's note: I hope the last chapter wasn't too boring for you. Oh yeah, the Martial Language that was written in bold letters were Gau's, while the Italic and Bold were Low's. Anyway, on to the second chapter!  
  
  
  
Note: Thanx for all the reviews!  
  
  
  
2 Chap.2  
  
3 "How can I fall in love with you?"  
  
  
  
He desperately searched the crowd for any sign of any ruby red hair, any two caring eyes of the same color, any smile that could melt a man's heart.  
  
He finally found all three of them in one woman, running towards him.  
  
"Gau-kun!" Kyou was yelling. "Aw hell!" Gau hissed under his breath. Whenever Kyou was around, his heart would skip a beat, his breath would rush, and his palms would get sweaty. In plain terms, he would get nervous.  
  
"K-Kyou-s-s-san" Gau sheepishly stuttered. "Hmmm? Gau-kun, daijobu ka? You had too many butterflies in your stomach? Kyou teased.  
  
"Dagnabit" Gau thought, "She's so pretty, I don't know if I can say it in front of her!" "K-Kyou-san", he said taking her hands, something he never did. "G-Gau-kun!" Kyou gasped. Here was the man she loved (NOT LOW!) and he was going to say something to her, something so private, that words could not explain. "Kyou-san" Gau repeated, "Ai-Ai-Aishi…" "Gau!" Elle yelled, interrupting what would have been Gau's moment of solitude with Kyou. "Gau, don't just stand there shaking like Soulfan soldiers, get your butt down here and let's celebrate.  
  
"Okay Elle, be with you…" Gau muttered "Damn, she could have been more courteous…" Just then, Elle came running back and playfully choked Gau (like she always does) and said, "Gau, I'm proud of you…" after which she kissed him again. (Don't take this the wrong way! Like I said, it's Gau/Kyou!)  
  
Kyou had been away for a while and saw what they were doing. Her heart shattered when she saw Gau, the one she loved, kissing his sister, Elle Lag. She ran off, hurt by what Elle had intended to be a friendly brother- sister kiss (Oh c'mon, don't tell me that big bros don't kiss their sisters). Gau immediately saw Kyou and broke away from Elle.  
  
"What the heck were you doing that for!?" Gau exclaimed, "Everyone's gawking at us!" "Huh?, n-n-n-no, he's my brother, BROTHER!!!!" Elle screamed at the people gawking at them, who turned away and minded their own business, again. Gau ran after Kyou, hoping she didn't get the wrong idea. He caught up with her, thanks to his trainings with Elle. "Kyou- san, chotto-matte, don't get the wrong idea, I don't…" he was cut off when Kyou turned and glared at him with tear-streaked eyes, at which Gau detected an inner sadness within her. "Don't get the wrong idea… don't get the wrong idea?!" Kyou sobbed "Yeah, I DON'T get the wrong idea! You love Elle!" "It was stupid of me to think that you would love me…" Kyou said softly, now calming down. "G-Gomen Gau, I don't want to stand in the way of you and Elle-san's relationship, but, I will always love you…"  
  
Gau's heart broke, "She thought I loved Elle, but…she'll always only be a sister to me…nothing more…" He gazed helplessly as Kyou ran away, to where, he did not know. He saw her bump a man, about his age, with long brown hair, tied in a high ponytail. He saw her smile at him, at which the man did the same. He strained to hear the conversation, but it was futile as he only caught a few words  
  
"What be your name, fair maiden?" the man inquired. "K-Kyou Pha-Phantom Ryu s-s-sir." Kyou replied, obviously smitten by the man's looks. "A-A-A- And what, m-m-may I a-a-a-ask is your name sir?" Kyou stuttered "Oh mine, it's Jim Kai." The man said "Would you graciously accept my offer to go out somewhere, maybe get a drink or a bite to eat?" "Y-Y-Yes sir…" Kyou said "Please call me Jim, it makes me feel high if you call me sir" Jim said. "Ok, yes Jim, I accept." Kyou said. "Good, pick you up at seven." Jim said. "Ok" agreed Kyou.  
  
  
  
And as Kyou said those fateful words, Gau knew, after the Low incident (the one where they suspected him of writing assassination letters), he had lost her again.  
  
  
  
He had lost her again.  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's note: So… watcha think, please R&R! The next chap. will probably be 2 weeks from now, as I have exams to study for. Thanks, enjoy!!!!! 


	3. Unholy Rendezvous

Author's Note: Thanks to all the reviews by everybody! And by the way, no, Jim is not the bad guy…yet.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chap.3 Unholy Return  
  
Somewhere near the outskirts of Kuruda, a man, masked in a black hood, looks down upon the rich, bountiful, the so-called invincible city of Kuruda.  
  
"Hehehehehe, we meet again Kuruda," the man sneered "The last time we met, I…I…l had my…first…defeat, by the hand of a naïve Var wannabe! Imagine that! A Var, who dared to defy me…hmmm…I doubt that was HIS victory, more like theirs…" The man then stopped and turned to a tree. He uttered a blood curdling, primal scream and smashed the tree to bits, not even leaving a splinter of wood unpulverized.  
  
"Yes… their victory! If only those meddling INSECTS wouldn't have interfered, victory would have been mine!!!!" The man then lifted his hood to reveal an all-to-familiar face. "Yes, I Len Fuma should have won!" The man continued his psychotic monotone until nightfall, where only nature witnessed a nauseatic transformation. Len's face grew, and grew, until it became a snout, with an enlarged mouth, filled with white glistening fangs. His body became bigger, and bigger, until it shaped itself into a hunched form and began sprouting fur everywhere. Where Len had stood till nightfall now housed a demon-wolf.  
  
Len was now a Wolfman.  
  
"See what I have become now, Gau Ban!" Len growled with all his fury "Sha Khan-sama had given me another chance, and I…Will...Not…Waste…It!!!" The Wolfman let out another cry, or was it…a howl…?  
  
  
  
Gau was lost in his train of thought. He had the chance to reveal his feelings to the woman he wanted to spend eternity with, and yet, his conscience objected to it. To hell with the age gap! He loved her and that was all that mattered.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
  
  
That night, Kyou came home all smiles after the wonderful time that she had with Jim. He was, how could she say it…just so lovable, and yet, all she wanted to be was in the arms of the man of her dreams, Gau Ban.  
  
That night, Gau had an uncomfortable slumber due to a dream he had. In it, Kyou's body was sprawled on the floor, dead. And on top of her now-dead body, stood a wolf-creature, "A Wolfman no doubt," he thought. He lunged at it in anger, but just as he reached for it, it's face turned to…Jim's.  
  
He woke up with a start. "Jim, a Wolfman???" he thought "Sou na…" He was cut of when he heard a sort of a sniffle. "It's coming from Kyou-san's room…" He crept down the corridor and to his surprise, saw Kyou on the ground, crying her eyes out. "Aishiteru, Gau-kun, aishiteru…" he heard her choke out. Oh, how he wanted to go there at once and kiss the pain she felt away! But something in him told him, "Wait, Gau, the time will come," He was about to mentally slap that voice, but something struck him hard, harder than Low's Harkens. "That's Diaz-sama's voice!" He realized. He decided to go back to bed and get a good night's sleep. On the way, he hesitated as he heard Kyou crying again. He crept back slowly to check up on her. He found that she had cried herself to sleep. He crept in and stroked her hair, at the same time caressing her face and whispering "Aishiteru, Kyou-san, aishiteru. He then drew closer, closer, then gave her a slight kiss, like the one a father gives his child before he tucks the child in. He stood up, and this time strode out, but not before turning back and uttering "aishiteru" again.  
  
The next day, Kyou found herself back on her bed. She felt a sudden warmness near her lips, as if someone had slightly kissed her the night before…"No, it's just probably my imagination" She murmured.  
  
Later, Gau woke up, but it was probably more logical to say that Elle shook him out of bed :) "Oi, Gau!" she said in her usually boisterous tone, "Ya know, we need to go sparring! Ya need to be in tip-top shape for that crazy 'rule of the four fighters' bit." "Maa Elle," Gau said "Can't that wait for tomorrow? One needs to get some rest, ne?" "Oh stop with the 'I'm tired' act! C'mon!" And with that, Elle dragged Gau outside to practice.  
  
At the same time, Kyou made herself some breakfast and sat down to eat. Folly, who had unknowingly been watching Gau the night before, sat down with her. "Oh great," Kyou thought "I won't have time to ponder my thoughts…" They sat in the table, neither speaking, until finally Folly broke the silence.  
  
"Are you here to eat, or here to contemplate?" she said as Kyou was merely stirring her cereal over and over again. "Ne?" Kyou inquired. "Kyou, I know what you feel for Gau, but do you think he feels the same?" Kyou's spoon stopped halfway to the journey to her mouth as Folly asked that question. "N-Nani?!" Kyou sputtered, "I-I th-think Gau-kun loves me only as a sister Folly…" she added, subconsciously hoping what she said was but a lie. "Hmmm, are you sure?" Folly softly said, "Kyou, don't you think you should just go training?" "N-Nani?" Kyou was confused. "If one goes training, one's problems would seem small, ne? I'll even help you." "Oh, Ok Folly-san, but only because you would come along" Kyou finally agreed. "Yoshi, let's go now." Folly said. "Hehehehe, operation 'Kyou' complete." She thought.  
  
Later, Elle was, as usual, wiping the floor with Gau. "Daijobu ka, Gau? You seem so drained. Must be thinking of a girl, ne?" Elle teased. Now, she would've expected Gau to pout, but not to look at her with anger in his eyes and release a Meice at her. She took the hit, collided with the wall, and fell down. This was not the Gau she sparred with, he had been energized by that last term Elle said. "Listen!" Gau started "Leave my private thoughts alone! If you ask that question again, I swear I will beat you so hard, you wouldn't remember anything about Kuruda!!!" He then calmed down and said "Gomen nasai, Elle-san, it's just that…I've been troubled for the past few days…" "About Kyou, right?" she thought. "Folly, how'd I let you talk me into this?" "Anyway Gau," she interrupted, let's go to a BETTER fighting arena, ne?" "Huh? Never knew there was one" Gau said.  
  
"Ok, just close your eyes, and no peeking!" Elle instructed. "Hai" Gau reluctantly agreed. She led Gau to a clearing in the forest, then left him there. "Huh?! Elle-san, where are you?" Gau frantically inquired, after which he opened his eyes to the clearing. It was a beautiful sight, a place filled with flowers and the sunlight set just to the right shade, courtesy of the green, tall trees surrounding it. There were forest animals galore, and the breeze had just set to the right temperature. The air was cool, fresh, and had a smell Gau couldn't decipher. If he had only been dead, he would have been in paradise.  
  
"Elle-san, is this the training place? Elle? ELLE?!" He was answered by the wind blowing through the trees. Just then, Kyou stumbled in, looking as bewildered as he had been when he entered.  
  
"K-Kyou-sa-san" Gau stammered, "Wha-What are you doing here?" "Oh great" his conscience told him "Just the woman you wanted to see. Tell her now!" "No", the voice of Diaz came back. "Patience Gau, patience." While Gau was debating with himself, Kyou was telling him how she got there.  
  
"U-Ummm, Folly-san told me about a neat training place, and I followed her, and…" she stopped as she saw Gau staring to La-la land. "Gau-kun, are you listening?" Gau was snapped back to reality as he saw Kyou's face. Why didn't he fall in love with her earlier, so that he wouldn't loose her at this point? How could he have regarded that peaceful, comforting face of hers as only a sister? He had to do it now, or he would loose her again. "Gomen Diaz-sama". He then turned to Kyou, took her hand, as he did a few days ago, and said with utter confidence, "Kyou-san, aishi…"  
  
Meanwhile…  
  
Elle and Folly were hiding in the bushes close by, surveying the whole thing. "Operation 'Aishiteru' complete!" they both whispered in unison and shook each other's hands like Tom, Ethan, and Lex in Survivor 3. "Please," a voice rasped "I beg to differ." "N-Nani?!" Elle said as a black, bulky figure jumped right at the couple.  
  
Kyou couldn't understand it. Here was Gau, a young, handsome, spirited boy whom she loved, but she had always thought he loved Elle. Or did he?  
  
"Demo, Gau-kun," she interrupted, "This is some sort of mistake! Y-You love Elle right?" As she uttered these words in disbelief, she said something that would leave a scar forever in the heart of Black Howling…  
  
"Gomen nasai Gau-kun, but I am in love with someone OLDER than me, and that is…Jim Kai!"  
  
Gau could only open his mouth in surprise at what she said, "I guess we're not meant to be… Is this what you were warning me about, Diaz-sama?" The silence was his answer.  
  
Before he could say something to ease the pain he felt, a black figure leapt at them.  
  
"Shadow Claw!" it said, hitting Gau hard with a claw charged with pure darkness.  
  
"N-Nani?!" Gau groaned, "I thought we killed the Wolfmen!" "Hmm, yes Black Howling, but you see, I am not completely a Wolfman!"  
  
And to everyone's surprise, he turned smaller, more humanlike, and then everyone knew he was no stranger…  
  
"Len!" Gau said, barely recovering from the attack.  
  
"Well! I believe that 'face lift' left everyone with surprised reactions! I should do that more often!" Len jested. "Diablo Kick!" he said, kicking Gau's stomach with such force, Gau threw up some blood and regurgitated food. He then swept up Kyou, leapt away, and said to Gau something.  
  
"Oh, by the way, Black Howling, I heard leftovers don't taste pretty bad!" he said, morphing back to a Wolfman, and threw Gau a huge sack. Gau had just recovered from the 'Diablo Kick' and was hit by the sack.  
  
"Kyou-san!" he screamed, but to no avail. His sadness was replaced by anger, and he screamed, "I'll track you till the ends of the earth Len, and when I do, you'd better hope Kyou's alive!!!" His fury soon turned to puzzlement, as he wanted to know what Len meant by 'leftovers'. He looked in the sack, and was greeted by the stench of rotten meat. He braved the smell and looked deeper. His sadness soon came back as he learned that he not only lost the woman he loved.  
  
He lost his best friend.  
  
The stench came from Low's decomposing body, maimed beyond recognition, with a big 'X' slashed on his chest.  
  
There was a letter attached to him…  
  
"I'll be in Blorahan, Black Howling"—Len  
  
Gau let out an inhuman scream, and ran to Kuruda, making his way to Blorahan.  
  
The beast within was awakened.  
  
  
  
A/N: ssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo how was it? Pls review, I badly need them! Flamers can go to hell!  
  
Black Wing 2 


	4. Black Howling

A/N: Hey guys n gals! Thanx for all the reviews! This is the fourth chapter of a probable 8-chapter story. Enjoy! R/R!  
  
  
  
1 Chap. 4 – Black Howling  
  
Gau ran across the streets of Kuruda, which was busy and bursting with life.  
  
"E-Excuse me!" he said as he bumped a man for the 3rd time.  
  
"Watch where ya goin', bakero!" the man growled. "What? Have ya lost ya brain?!"  
  
"G-G-Gomen sir, sumimasen!" Gau apologized.  
  
He was about to tell the man that he had lost something more important than his mind, when conscience told him to clam up and go.  
  
He was growing more frantic as every step brought him closer to Blorahan, the land where he had met his "anikii" Dias, and now, where he would reclaim the one he loved, Kyou Phantom Ryu.  
  
Then he would kill the bastard who took her there, Len Fuma.  
  
He clutched the weapon that Dias bestowed upon him, the infamous "Black Wing". He marveled at how such a primitive tool could be the object of fear and death for many.  
  
"Dias-sama, sorry for using this, but killing is the only way to solve this." He sped up and was half way through the route, when a dark ominous figure stopped him.  
  
"Gau Ban" the man spoke, "Or should I refer to, Black Howling, why so hasty? The sky is blue, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, 'Tis a good day to be---"  
  
"Spare me the poetry, Darkness!" Gau growled, not wanting to spare a minute languishing with Darkness, while his love could be dying in the hands of a monster, a Wolfman to be exact.  
  
"Hmmm?" Darkness coolly asked "I see no hurry in what task you need to accomplish, so why not spend a few minutes conversing with an old friend…"  
  
"An old friend, who taught me to fear the 'guy down there'." Gau muttered.  
  
"Be it as you wish," Darkness said, reading his thoughts all the same, "But I came here not to merely reflect upon the goodness of nature, to be quite frank, I abhor it."  
  
Gau was getting impatient at Darkness' attempt to evade the true point of their conversation. "Stop beating around the bush and get to the damn point!" he snapped.  
  
"Temper, temper Black Howling!" Darkness said apologetically, not wanting the 'beast' within Gau to run the show, "Alright, I'll get straight to the point. I gather you want to rescue Miss Kyou, right?" the surprised look on Gau's face told him everything. "I thought so…" Darkness sighed, "I am just here to deliver a warning from Diaz-san…" "Diaz-sama?!" Gau interrupted, "M- Masaka? I thought he died? H-How?"  
  
"Gau Ban, such trivial matters can await for sometime later, but as of now, I cannot reveal that question in which you are interested, maybe sometime, but not now. Now, Diaz-san tasks me to warn you, 'Don't let the beast within take control of you! Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement or shatter your spirit! Don't end up like Kain! Remember that you have instilled within you the pride of a Kuruda Mercenary! Do not become another "G"…'  
  
"At this, his voice faded." Darkness explained, "So I was not able to hear more of his counsel."  
  
"What does he mean by 'another "G"'?!" Gau fumed, "I am fighting for the woman I love! Not some sort of 'fighting spirit' crap! I will never be another "G"! No, it is just because my mind is confused and my fighting spirit is raging that I am acting like this! I…" Gau was shocked by the words he said.  
  
"You do not want to be like Kain, yet you speak the words of one who is obsessed of assimilating his very figure!" Darkness pointed out harshly. "About the woman you love, you say! This sounds more like what Kain said when he turned to "G"!"  
  
Darkness softened his tone when he saw Gau looking hurt and confused, a look that never occurred ever since 2 years ago, when he was still a naïve, ambitious 14 year old.  
  
"Listen, Black Howling, I didn't mean…" he said, trying to apologize.  
  
"Look! Just stay out of my life and everything I do!" Gau screamed, "If I wanna be "G", so what?! I can do anything with my life! So get outa my way!" he yelled, shoving Darkness out of his way and traveling at an unusually fast pace.  
  
Darkness shook his head, saying "The beast has gotten control of him, only a person closest to him can break a trance that strong…I'm going to miss him…"  
  
Meanwhile in Blorahan, things weren't going too well for Kyou…  
  
"Where is that guy? He's late!" Len fumed.  
  
"What do you mean late? You were too stupid to tell him what time to come! What kind of an evil person are you? At least you didn't forget to tie me up… " Kyou pointed out.  
  
"Oh, shaddap! Can't you see I'm trying my best? Sheesh… What a critic…" Len muttered.  
  
"If you'd only use your mind I'd stop pouring it thick on your incompetence." Kyou reminded, "For the first few hours I WAS scared, now, I'm just scared because I'm stuck with an idiot…"  
  
Len's temper had reached the boiling point after this insult, and he slapped Kyou, hard, on her cheek. Kyou whimpered in pain.  
  
"SAY THAT AGAIN BITCH!?" Len screamed, "AN IDIOT?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO REGAIN SHA KHAN-SAMA'S TRUST?! OF COURSE YOU DON'T! YOU JUST SIT AROUND BEING PROTECTED BY PEOPLE A LOT STRONGER THAN YOU ARE! YOU DON'T KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF PAIN! YOU'RE TOO WEAK TO!  
  
Len's lips curved into a cold smile as an idea struck him.  
  
"Yes, I'll show you the meaning of pain…when I take something…"important" from you."  
  
He advanced towards Kyou, who was too shocked with what "important" thing he wanted.  
  
"He's…g-going to…rape me?!" her mind screamed.  
  
Len then picked her up, but as he just started trailing kisses, unwantedly, down Kyou's neck, a voice out of nowhere said, "Go any further, and your back's not the only thing I'm gonna break."  
  
Kyou stared in happiness at the source of the voice, Gau's. Her joy turned to fear as she saw Gau's eyes. No more were they the sapphire color that looked at her with compassion, but they were now red, in anger and fury, the beast's color.  
  
"Ah, Black Howling, I was expecting you, I was just "warming up" to the matter." Len said, faking a tone one would use when he sees an old friend, "But anyway, lets end the story we started shall we?" he said, morphing into the Wolfman once more,  
  
"Yeah, lets end it. So you die…" Gau said.  
  
Len then charged at Gau, unleashing a barrage of techniques only known to the Wolfmen. "Shadow Claw!" he said, slashing with his claw, charged with his own dark energy. "Kamui..." Gau calmly said. He disappeared from view, rendering the Shadow Claw useless.  
  
He appeared behind Len and uttered a few inaudible words at him, but the only audible thing he said was, "You see, I've been practicing some Ying style ever since you fought me…Cougar!!!!!!" His fingers glew an unmistakable shade of red, a color only emitted by one possessed by the 'beast' within oneself. He plunged his fingers deep into the abdomen of Len, regardless whether he was a Wolfman or a human, he was still a monster.  
  
Len felt the rays ripping through his body, then he flew away and hit a nearby tree, obliterating it. "Your gonna pay for that ya bastard!" he hissed, "Try this, Hell Cannon!" Len then ran towards Gau, but all of a sudden, he jumped in the air and twisted his body so that he was charging in mid-air, feet first towards Gau. As he got closer, his feet gathered wind and dark energy alike and smacked Gau in his torso.  
  
"Hehehehehe" he sneered as he got up, hoping that the youth would be on the ground, writhing in pain. To his surprise, Gau was not even fazed by the attack, but he wore a furious expression on his face. "NANI?!" Len thought, "That was the ultimate Wolfman move ever taught and this guy just stands there like I hit him with a pillow!"  
  
"Hmph!" Gau snorted, "The strongest you say? I will show you a move I have mastered…one not taught in Shadow Skill…guaranteed to send you to hell…" Len then quaked at the words, something he had never done towards an opponent. "O-Oh-h y-yeah, w-w-well I'll send y-y-you t-t-to he-he-hell first!" he stammered, "Screw!" He dashed at Gau, then stopped midway, and raised his feet to hit him. He found out that he only hit air, because Gau had used "Kamui" without saying anything. "H-H-Huh?!" Len yelled, "No man could…" He was cut off when a dozen Black Wings came at him. Being surprised, he took the full force of the attack, opening numerous cuts and breaking many bones, for Black Wing can be deadly in the hands of a killer, or for this instance, a beast.  
  
Just as he was dropping to the ground, Gau reappeared, and said sadistically, "Where are you going? The fun has just started!" Then, Gau slashed at him with Black Wing, followed by an uppercut to bring him back up, then hacked at him again. At first, the process began slowly, but it sped up so much until all Kyou could see was a black blur destroying a white-brown one.  
  
At last, when Len fell Gau smashed his face beyond recognition with a "Rapier", then followed through with a "Sword" through his abdomen, after which he swept Len off his feet. Literally, with a "Boomerang" breaking them in the process. Len thought it was finally over, his brush with hell was finally over.  
  
Boy, was he wrong.  
  
Gau appeared surprisingly fast behind Len, and proceeded to break Len's backbone with a "Chainsaw". Just as Len was going to hit the ground, Gau reappeared on top of him and crushed his skull to powder with a "Blade". He then somersaulted over to where Len's rib cage was located, and broke them like twigs with a "Tonfa". Normally, "Tonfa" was used to cancel out energy spheres or blasts, but while used by Gau, who was all the more dangerous due to his possession to the 'beast' within, it was as deadly as a "Sword".  
  
Len's battered and broken body hit the soft grass, yielding defeat to the 60th Cevar, Black Howling. But Black Howling was not yet done.  
  
Gau leapt in the air, high above Len's body, then…"Think of this as my farewell present before you meet Satan himself!" Gau yelled, "CANNON!!!!"  
  
He connected with Len's body, sending a spectrum of dark, not bright colors flying into the sky, to be admired or feared by all, he did not care which.  
  
At long last, Gau stopped the attack, bent over to Len's body and collared him, lifting him in the air. "How d'you like my 'Soul End-Shadow'? He questioned, not sounding any different from 'G'. "That was a version of the Seven Blows of 'G', only done my way…the Shadow Skill way!" He then bashed Len's head to the grass, raising Black Wing high in the air afterwards. "Now, GO TO HELL!" He screamed, bringing Black Wing down to Len's throat. A pair of arms locking themselves around him, gentle yet pleading stopped him. "Onegai…Yamero…Gau-kun" the soft, angelic voice of Kyou pleaded, "I'm alive, there's no more need of killing."  
  
"Demo, he tried to…play with you!" Gau protested, the 'beast's' hold loosening a sliver, "He kidnapped you, he tried to…"  
  
"I know," Kyou interrupted, "But that beating you gave him was enough…onegai Gau-kun, just stop"  
  
Gau lowered Black Wing, then collapsed in Kyou's arms, the adrenaline leaving him, along with the 'beast's' control. "Gau-kun?" inquired Kyou, worried about his exhaustion leading to death, as G's did. "Daijobu ka?"  
  
"Daijobu, Kyou-san" Gau answered, getting up with no trace of exhaustion, his eyes now resumed to its sapphire color. Kyou was so happy; she jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly, sobbing out tears that could no longer be kept.  
  
"I missed you, Gau-kun, I thought you'd never come!" she sobbed, choking now and then in tears of happiness.  
  
"It's all right, Kyou-san, it's all over now." Gau reassured, enjoying the closeness of her body to his, the scent of her hair, and everything about her. They stayed in that position for a while, until Gau broke the embrace, walking over to Len, who was still in the world of the living, but barely.  
  
"I would've killed you, but Kyou stopped me." He told Len, bending down so he could hear Gau. "If it wasn't for her act of kindness, I doubt you would be living, but there is no use grieving in the past, I'll just turn you over to King Iva Stolla, and see what he decides."  
  
"Not before I send you to hell first, Gau Ban!" Len croaked, then thrusting him in the stomach with a sword hidden by his fall. He sneered, then drew his last breath, before crumpling in a heap, sleeping the eternal rest.  
  
Gau saw the whole thing in slow motion, only to be brought back to reality with a searing hot pain in his abdomen. "I'm…going to…die?" he thought subconsciously. He saw Kyou scream in horror, seeing all the blood lost by him. He pulled the sword out and gasped in horror.  
  
It was Low's sword.  
  
"D-D-Damn" He thought, "Not Low's sword…" Those were his last thoughts as he collapsed to the grass, tainting its emerald green color with his crimson blood. Visions of the past flew by him like flocks of birds, until all of a sudden…  
  
He was back in Kuruda, which was burned down to ashes and dust. "What kind of a vision is this?" He thought then paused a sudden because two figures in the horizon were approaching. "It's Low-san and Diaz-sama!" he joyfully realized, then pondered why they were there, "Weren't they dead?" he wondered. Despite his doubts, he decided to ask them what happened anyway. "Low-san, Diaz-sama!" He called, "What happened?" "Gau" started Diaz; "This is what will happen to all of Kuruda if you die." "Huh?" wondered Gau "But…Len stabbed me…so that makes me dead…right?"  
  
"Gau" said Low "That is what we are here for, to wake you up. You are not yet dead, but you are very close to. And we intend to pull you away from death, not towards it." "So…why am I here?" asked Gau. "I think Darkness has something to do with that" pointed out Diaz.  
  
"Gau, the most important thing now is for you to regain consciousness" reminded Low  
  
"But…why? Can't I go with you?" Gau argued.  
  
"I think I can explain" offered Diaz "If you die, Kuruda will be besieged and destroyed by a "Black Dragon", a beast I saw in my visions. Second, you can't go with us because we are going somewhere where no living man can ever go. Lastly, who will be a shield to all the people you love? Elle can't do it alone, and what would Kyou do without you?"  
  
Gau paused to think about what Diaz said. Yes, it was true, he loved Kyou and would hate to see her in misery, but what would happen to Low and Anikii? Would he ever see them again?  
  
As if he read Gau's mind, Diaz consoled him with these words "Only the future will tell"  
  
Then, Gau felt a bright light shine down on him. It soon got brighter and brighter until he could only hear Diaz and Low's voices.  
  
"Don't worry, we have a surprise when you get up!" Diaz called  
  
"Yes, make sure to protect Miss Kyou with it, or else I'll come back to life and beat you up!" Low jokingly threatened.  
  
"It will help you soon!" they both said.  
  
That was the last Gau saw of them…for now.  
  
He woke up with an excruciating pain near his abdomen and heard a joyous squeal from Kyou.  
  
She threw herself on top of him and hugged him so tight he swore he saw Diaz and Low for a brief moment.  
  
"Oi, Kyou-san, Gau-kun, where are you lovebugs? Ite! Ite! All right I'll stop teasing! Quit it Faury! Now look who's teasing?! For Kuruda's sake let's just go find them!" They heard Elle's boisterous voice call out. Not long after, Elle and Faury emerged from the bushes, at each other's throats, when they gasped in shock at Gau and Kyou's "wonderful" position. "Gau you nitwit!" sputtered Faury "Save the first time AFTER marriage!"  
  
"Demo…" Gau began.  
  
"Aw, just leave 'em alone!" Elle laughed "If there are kids in the Green Octopus, I'm sure we can feed 'em!"  
  
Then they argued for a long time. Even Kyou got up and joined the "debate" they were having. Gau just looked at them in wonder and tried to remember how he got such crazy friends.  
  
It was then that he caught sight of Black Wing. Only it wasn't Black Wing anymore. There was now a sword hilt at where the cloth Diaz wrapped around the handle of Black Wing, which bore the ancient Kuruda runes of "Lightning".  
  
The blade had now transformed into a black and silver color, at which he spied a metal sheath for the boomerang laying beside it. The sheath seemed to glow with a radiant energy, holy energy to be exact.  
  
"So this was their gift!" he thought aloud. The girls stopped arguing to look at him with a "What the hell is wrong with you?" look and started arguing again, after which they turned back to look at Black Wing.  
  
"Arigato, Diaz-sama, Low-san, I will vanquish all evil besieging Kuruda with this blade!" he thought, careful not to say it aloud just in case the girls stare at him with the you-know-what look again.  
  
When the surprise faded, he sheathed the now-transformed boomerang of Diaz. It was Black Wing no more, no, something had overcome the terror it brought to many during the birth of the Var "Black Wing". No more would the blade bring to end the lives of innocent men who died protecting the city they love, it would only vanquish the reign and end the misery caused by tyrants, warlords, demons, and all that was impure upon this earth. Yes, it would forevermore be remembered not as "Black Wing", the blade of destruction. But as…  
  
"Black Howling", the banisher of evil.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How was it? Look, I've been stumped with the name of the improved "Black Wing". Have any suggestions? Just e-mail me with what you think should be the name on black_howling49@hotmail.com Pls review!!!! Thanks! 


End file.
